In such a method or with such a flat-bed knitting machine, known from German Published, Non-examined Patent Application DE-OS 27 30 306, the odd numbered areas of the individual intarsia areas which follow successively in a row of stitches are knitted by a preceding cam of a two-cam carriage and the even numbered areas are knitted by the succeeding cam. The yarn guide is provided with an arm, pivotably fixed on the yarn guide box, the end of which guiding the respective yarn is pivoted in the area between two adjacent intarsia areas out of the needle field of the respective intarsia area at the end of knitting operation and into the needle field of the respective intarsia area prior to the start of a knitting operation.
This is mechanically relatively complicated and expensive because of the multitude of yarn guides which must be used. Because of the pivoting mechanism, the speed possible for the carriage is also limited. Furthermore, mechanical control means must be provided which assure the pivoting of the yarn guides at exactly the corresponding times.
Additionally, in a method or with a flat-bed knitting machine of the type mentioned above, it is known from EP-A1 246 364 to couple the respective yarn guide operationally with a cover, which cover is displaced correspondingly in relation to the needle bed by means of a cable pull connected with the drive.
It is disadvantageous in this case that an additional drive is required to perform such a relative movement between the yarn guide and the needle bed.
Furthermore, a method or a flat-bed knitting machine of the previously described type is known from German Published, Non-examined Patent Application P 29 10 532 and German Published, Non-examined Patent Application P 32 45 233 in which the yarn guides are provided with yarn guide tubelets containing the yarn, which can be moved in a vertical sense in relation to the corresponding needle bed. The intarsia areas are produced according to the plating process, i.e. an overlapping process.
It is disadvantageous in this case that it is necessary to position each needle exactly, that space is limited for the yarn guide tubelets and that this design is limited to certain minimal needle spacings.
However, all of these known methods for producing intarsia knitted goods or of flat-bed knitting machines suitable for such production have the common disadvantage that, in the absence of an acceptance of the need for additional steps, it is only possible to produce as many different intarsia areas or colors as there are cams provided on the carriage used. If more intarsia areas or colors are to be knitted, further efforts or perhaps even the acceptance of idle passages or empty rows is required, depending on the pattern to b knitted, which results in a negative effect on the efficiency of the production.